Noo Yawk, Quick Thoughts

Some people go to bright, sunny locales for Spring Break, surrounding themselves with beautiful people sunbathing amidst crystal blue waters and such. For me, I was just happy that they cleared the storm drains in the New York by this morning so my feet could finally be dry as I went for a morning walk on 5th Avenue. Anyway, I don't have a full post here, so here are some quick hits from my extended weekend in the Big Apple.

- Obviously, first, I have to talk about the NCAA Tournament. Not exactly March Madness (unless you count the half hour of excitement on Saturday night with Vandy and Pitt). There were about 45 boring games last weekend, and all we learned (and, to be fair, I spent a lot of time roaming around NYC and not enough time watching hoops, so I may not be the most informative critic here) was that the Tournament is still up for grabs. Sure, I've got Kansas, but that's not a sure bet, as good as they looked whipping a bad Kentucky team yesterday. None of the #1 seeds looked dominant in their two wins over the weekend. Ohio State BARELY survived against a really, really, really bad Xavier team, while nearly giving Gus Johnson a simultaneous heart attack/sportsgasm. So pay attention next weekend, we'll see if any more secrets of the hardwood get revealed.

- I was very disappointed in the Holy Cross loss to SIU Friday night. I really thought the 'Saders had what it took to go on a little George Mason-esque run. Didn't get a chance to see the game, thanks to the magnificently intoxicated Villanova fans at the Waterloo Pub on 2nd Avenue who refused to give up 1 of the 5 TVs that were tuned to the Kentucky-'Nova yawner. Thanks guys. P.S., Need a cheap drink on the Upper East Side? Go to the Waterloo. The decor ain't much and the clientele are not exactly New York's chicest, but Luke, Megan and I got rip-roaringly tipsy on some brews and delightfully heavy drinks and got change back from $50. For all of us. Marvelous.

- Besides basketball, I've been culturing up this weekend. Spent a glorious day with Megan yesterday exploring the Met, then had a nice walk this morning to the MoMA and back up to the Guggenheim today. All three are, of course, impressive. I must say I was quite taken with the sometimes-maligned new MoMA, but then, I like modernism more than a lot of people. It was nice to see works like Les Desmoiselles d'Avignon, Onement 1, and Mondrian's Compositions up close and personal. The Met, too, was fun. I hadn't been there since my early childhood, and it was fun to go back and see Emanuel Leutze's rendition of Washington Crossing the Delaware, if for no other reason than that it reminded me of the first joke my mom ever told me. I was three years old and thought it was the height of comedy. The thing is, it's still funny. I'll leave you to ponder on its hilarity.

"What did George Washington say to his men before crossing the Delaware?"

"Get in the boat."

Timeless.